catch on
Britishverb
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to become popular or fashionable
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to grasp mentally; understand
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Understand, as in Aunt Mary doesn't catch on to any jokes . The verb to catch alone was used with this meaning from Shakespeare's time, on being added in the late 1800s. Also see get it , def. 2.
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Become popular, as in This new dance is really beginning to catch on . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As one trader puts it: “I don’t think my house is going to catch on fire, but I still have insurance.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
On Wednesday — 31 days later— the front section of the vehicle appeared to spontaneously catch on fire, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Yardeni: It is worth watching the credit markets, since problems there tend to surface before stocks catch on.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
O’Donnell warns that using this method can get candidates blacklisted from companies who catch on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
It took little Willy an hour to catch on.
From "Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
